IF YOU DARE – Work in Progress – Excerpt

The Red Bud series is shaping up, starting with Book One, IF YOU KNEW, to be released late 2018. IF YOU DARE is the story of Doug Winston’s chance at redemption. Doug is the villain in IF YOU KNEW, persecuting the heroine, Devonny Campbell and using her background in the porn industry as fuel for his mayoral campaign. My editor, Noah Chinn, suggested giving Doug his own story. My initial reaction was, “But I don’t like Doug. He’s a jerk.” Can Doug can be redeemed?

While his beef stew got nuked Miles stood in the doorway to his father’s den. His dad was out like a light, face down on the leather sofa, one arm dangling off. He hadn’t shaved this morning and Miles tried to remember if that had ever happened before. His dad was a control freak. He liked everything where it was supposed to be and that included people. Miles was in the son slot. His mother had been in the wife slot. But she wasn’t anymore. Couldn’t blame her for getting the hell out of this house, out of this life. Miles planned on booking it too. Just as soon as he graduated and picked what college offer he wanted to say yes to.

His gaze slid over to the baby carrier. Miles couldn’t believe how small his sister was. He had a freaking sister. That was so f***ing weird he almost couldn’t wrap his head around it. He’d known his dad’s girlfriend was pregnant. Sheesh, you couldn’t hide something like that in a town like Red Bud. Plus, she’d blabbed the news to everyone at the town hall meeting last winter. But somehow Miles had never quite connected the fact that her kid would be his sister. Half-sister. And he’d certainly never expected the kid would be living here.

Actually, he’d kind of figured Ms. Sanchez would book it out of town like his mother had. If she’d been smart she’d have taken her kid and gotten as far away as possible from his dad. For her sake and her baby’s. Because one thing Miles knew firsthand, Doug Winston was not good with kids.